Collaborative Internet Innovation Fund (cIIF)

About

The Collaborative Internet Innovation Fund (cIIF) is a $15 million Victorian Government grants program aimed at accelerating the innovative use of the next generation of information and communication technology (ICT)  by Victorian government, industry and community organisations.

The Collaborative Internet Innovation Fund focuses on collaborative projects that use next generation ICT to innovate, develop new ways of working and problem solve in key areas such as environment, health, education, local government, emergency services, community services and industry amongst others.

Round 2

cIIF Round 2 focuses on “Applications in an NBN world” and will support the development of applications that are dependant on characteristics of the National Broadband Network, such as its ubiquitous nature and high bandwidth. These applications will change how we work, study and play and will be key to driving productivity and quality of life benefits. It is important that these applications are developed and tested prior to the completion of the NBN rollout in order to minimise the lag effect between the deployment of the infrastructure and its effective use.

The focus areas for cIIF Round 2 include health, education, environmental sustainability and productivity.

Program Objectives

The objectives of the government grant are to:

• Support ‘early adopters’ of new technologies to undertake collaborative innovation projects, thereby accelerating the take-up of new technologies in key sectors of the Victorian economy
• Fund innovative projects enabled by ICT which demonstrate productivity, and provide models for more widespread adoption of new technologies and practices
• Build Victorian capability to undertake innovation projects, and foster champions of ICT innovation

Globally ICT is moving into a new era, characterised by the widespread uptake of high capacity broadband, many millions of users and powerful digital devices becoming networked, and the evolution of the internet as the key platform for the delivery of services to end users in homes and businesses. The new era of the internet will be facilitated via applications on next generation broadband networks such as the National Broadband
Network (NBN).

Funding

The following funding principles apply to Round Two of the government grants:

• The funding round will be conducted on an open, competitive and merit basis
• Funding is project based and not recurrent
• Project co-contributions (cash and in-kind) must match on a 1:1 basis with funding sought from the program.

In cIIF Round Two

• $3.5 million is available, inclusive of business planning grants, for approved government  projects.
• $1.5 million is available, inclusive of business planning grants, for approved non government projects.

Government grants will typically be made available to projects with 1 to 2 year funding profiles, with funding requests in the range:

• $50,000 to $1,000,000 per Government project
• $50,000 to $500,000 per Non-Government project

Projects are expected to commence no later than the end of June 2011.

Matched Funding

Applicants are required to provide matched funding to projects on a 1:1 basis, comprising cash and in-kind contributions. Composition of co-contribution will be considered in project selection. As a guide government/industry stream projects should aim for matched funding to comprise at least 50% cash. Community and not for profit sector projects should aim for matched funding to comprise at least 25% cash.

In-kind contributions include, but are not limited to, items such as:

• staff who work directly on the project or on project-related activities
• new asset investments
• IT services, including related staff and IT support
• contract resources and services
• administrative support, such as HR services, accounting services, procurement services and accommodation.

Matched funding may also come from other sources, such as other government grants and philanthropic organisations.

Eligible Applicants

Government grants are available to support collaborative projects involving multiple parties. Projects which involve only a single organisation are not eligible.

Collaboration may involve new partnerships formed between organisations to undertake the project, or leverage an existing collaborative mechanism, such as memberships of associations or bodies. All applications must be submitted and certified by an eligible lead organisation on behalf of the project (see ‘Eligible lead organisations’ for further details). Projects can involve a mix of public and/or private sector organisations.

Lead Government project organisations must be one of the following:

• State Government department, statutory authority or agency, or
• Local Government organisation.

Lead Non- Government project organisations must be one of the following:

• Industry association or body
• Community organisation
• Charitable institution

Process

Selection is a two-stage process designed to support development of an initial project concept into a business plan that can be funded for immediate implementation.
Government grant applications at each stage are assessed against program selection criteria by a Departmental Selection Panel comprising senior Victorian Government officers and approved by the Minister for ICT.

Round 1

Round 1 of the Collaborative Internet Innovation Fund (CIIF) was held in 2009 and provided project-based funding to support early adopters of new technologies such as web 2.0 to undertake collaborative projects that demonstrate new ways of working and solving problems. 22 projects were funded in this round and are now being implemented. Information about these projects will be shared online here at the cIIF website.

More Information of cIIF

slideshow (PDF, 339Kb, 29 pages)

Program guidelines

• Government (PDF, 136Kb, 16 pages)
• Non-government (PDF, 140 Kb, 18 pages)

CIIF government grant applications are due by close of business 3 December 2010.

We are specialists in preparing and winning government grants. If you require assistance with a government grant application please contact us to discuss further.

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